Method and apparatus for sonic separation of minerals



y 1956 c. c. BROOKS 2,755,927

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SONIC SEPARATION OF MINERALS Filed July 20, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 George 6. Brooks INVENTOR.

BY ym! 3m July 24, 1956 G. c. BROOKS METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SONIC SEPARATION OF MINERALS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 20, 1955 George 6. Brooks INVENTOR. BY @ma METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SONIC SEPARATION OF MINERALS George C. Brooks, Punxsutawney, Pa. Application July 20, 1953, Serial No. 369,050 6 Claims. (Cl. 209-1) The present invention relates to the separation of coal, mineral, and various ores and more particularly relates to a method and apparatus for the sonic separation, according to the diiferences in specific gravities, of valuable mineral products and the reject or gangue material from the raw material as mined from the earth.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a process for the separation of ores and the like, utilizing sonic waves as the separating media.

Ancillary to the primary object is to provision of the process wherein the ore particles will be passed through a sonic wave media, which media will serve to suspend the particles of ore of lighter specific gravity and permit those particles of heavier specific gravity to pass through the sonic media thereby separating the raw ore into its valuable and waste components according to their specific gravities.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for the sonic preparation of ores which is portable, operates on low power consumption and which separates material in a raw feed state made up of a number of specific gravities within a single unit.

Present day ore preparation and beneficiation equipment is either of the hydraulic or pneumatic types requiring either a great volume of water to effect the separation or being subject to the deleterious condition of excessive surface moisture to their operation. It is an object of this invention to eliminate these difficulties.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1, wherein the ore separating apparatus is shown in side elevation; and

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the ore separating apparatus of Figure 1 and showing the interior construction thereon.

In the drawings, the ore separating apparatus is designated in its entirety by the numeral and comprises generally a plurality of bins 12, 14, and 16, joined to one another by means of the flanged connections 18 to provide a continuous interior chamber 20.

The lower portions of the side walls of each bin taper toward one another, as at 22, and 24, with each bin terminating at its lower end in a discharge opening 28. Thus, each bin is formed with a separate compartment opening at its lower end into the discharge opening 28 and at its upper end into the common chamber 20. The numerals 30, 32, and 34, designate the compartments of the bins i2, 14, and 16, respectively.

Mounted within the compartments 30 and 32 or bins 12 and 14, and extending the length thereof are sonic generators 36 and 38, respectively, which extend throughout the length of the bins and are disposed above the discharge openings 28. The generators are of the siren type and are somewhat modified for their use in the present invention with each generator comprising a steel cylinder 40 which houses a power driven, radial, multi-bladed shaft 42. The cylinders 40 are provided throughout their length with transversely spaced longitudinal rows of apertures 44, opening upwardly toward the common chamber 20.

Suitable directly connected, variable speed motors 46 may be utilized to drive the shafts 42 to vary the frequency of sound waves produced by the generators. Compressed air line 48 opens into the end of each generator to transmit compressed air from an auxiliary air compressor (not shown) to the generators 36 and 38, so that the range of intensity of the compression waves propagated by the generators may be varied.

Thus, upon operation of the generators, the tapering sidewalls 22 and 24, of the compartments of the bins, direct the sound waves upwardly toward the top of the bins.

The entire inner surfaces of the bins are lined with a suitable sound absorbing material primarily to prevent the development of reflective bombardments of sonic waves.

The upper end of each bin is formed with an upwardly projecting valve housing 52 thereon extending the length of the bin and forming an upper auxiliary compartment 54, in each bin, in which are mounted a series of flutter valves 56 which also extend the length of the bins. Cover 58 is hingedly mounted on the top of the valve housing 52 and includes a plurality of apertures 60 therethrough which open into the sound absorbing material 50. Thus, as excessive or unwanted pressure is created by the sonic generators 36 and 38, the flutter valves are operated permitting the escape of their unwanted pressure through the apertures 60 in the valve cover 58.

Opening into the upper portion of the first bin 12 is a chute 62 communicating with a feed hopper 64. Rotary feed gate 66, mounted within the chute 62, controls the gravitational passage of the raw ore or other material 68 into the chamber 20. Similar rotary discharge gates 68 control the passage of the ore from the bins as the ore particles are separated according to their specific gravities during their passage through the bins. Since the gates 66 and 68 are identical in construction, a description of gate 68 will sufiice for both.

The gate 68 comprises essentially a shaft extending the length of each bin and journaled at its ends in the sidewalls of the bins. The shaft is designated by the numeral 70. Flexible blades 72, of any suitable material, are mounted 011 the shaft 70.

Resiliently mounted on the walls 22 and 24, of each bin, are plates 74 which engage the free edges of the blades 72 to continually seal the discharge opening 28 and prevent free passage of air into the bins whereby the static atmosphere within the bins would be interrupted.

On the corresponding ends of the shafts 40, of the discharge gates 66, and 68, are mounted sprocket wheels 76 which are interconnected with each other by means of endless chains 78 and 80 and a suitable motor is provided, as at 82, driving one of the sprockets to rotate the gates simultaneously.

In utilizing the apparatus to perform the process of the invention, the material 67 to be treated is first reduced to a predetermined size range of particles or pellets and is conveyed from the hopper 64 through the entrance gate 68 into the chamber 20.

The sonic generators 36 and 38 are actuated to create sonic waves of the desired intensity and frequency to effect the separation of the particles of the material being treated. The generators 36 and 38 form compression waves which are propagated upwardly into the common chamber 20, which chamber then provides a separation zone for the ore passing therethrough. In the embodiment shown, the apparatus operates in a multi-stage process wherein the generator in compartment 30 produces waves of a greater frequency and intensity than the generator in compartment 32 so that in the primary zone of separation in the compartment 20, only those particles having the greatest specific gravity wili penetrate the wave barrier and pass out through the discharge gate 68 while those of lighter specific gravities will be suspended in the separation zone and pass into the secondary separation Zone within the chamber 29 which is created by the sonic waves from the generator 40. In this zone, those particles having the next greatest specific gravity range will now penetrate the wave barrier and pass through the compartment 32 through the discharge opening 23 in this compartment. The lighter specific gravity particles will remain suspended in the separation zone and pass into the clean products bin 16, from which they are likewise discharged.

Preferably, the raw material 67 enters the bins by means of gravity and continues transversely through each bin striking the wave formations at an angle to their path of propagation through the compartments 30 and 32 so that as the heavier particles are released from suspension within the bins, the lighter particles continue their downward movement while suspended in the separation zone in their stratified form.

Obviously, the operation could be carried out as a single stage, double stage, or any multiple stage, depending upon the degree of refinement necessary. Although in the embodiment shown, the clean product is indicated as being that of the lightest specific gravity fraction, quite obviously the clean product could be the reject or middling material depending upon the type of material being separated.

Also, in the clean products bin 16, an inspection door may be provided, as indicated at 84.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and

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accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. The process for separating valuable minerals and gangue materials from raw ore which comprises pelletizing the raw ore to a predetermined size range, introducing the pellets at an angle to their free falling gravitational path into a closed chamber containing a gaseous medium and generating sonic waves in the chamber from a point beneath the point of entry of the pellets to form a separation zone of an intensity sufiicient to farther deflect the fiow of the lighter specific gravity pellets from their free falling gravitational path while permitting the heavier specific gravity pellets approaching their free falling gravitational path and to pass therethrough, and discharging the graded pellets from separate openings in the chamber.

2. The process for separating minerals, ore, coal, from raw material which comprises reducing the raw material to pieces within a predetermined size range, gravitationally admitting the pieces into a closed chamber at an angle to their free falling gravitational path, generating sonic waves within the chamber from a point beneath the point of entry of the pieces of a predetermined frequency and intensity to provide a separation zone deflecting the pieces of lighter specific gravity from their free falling gravitational path and retaining them in suspension while permitting the pieces of heavier specific gravity to more closely approach their free falling gravitational path and pass therethrough.

3. The process for separating minerals, ore, coal, and the like from'raw material reduced to a predetermined size range which comprises gravitationally introducing the raw material into the upper end of a closed chamber, generating sonic waves within the chamber to thereby form a separation zone in the gravitational path of the raw material, passing the raw material into the separation zone within the chamber at an angle to the free falling gravitational path thereof thereby deflecting portions of lighter specific gravities from the gravitational path of the raw material, and permitting the portions of heavier specific gravity to continue on their gravitational path, and further deflecting by sonic waves, said lighter specific gravity portions and further separating particles therefrom.

4. An apparatus for the sonic separation of materials of ditferent specific gravities comprising a separation chamber including a plurality of communicating compartments, the first of said compartments having an opening therein adjacent the upper end thereof, a rotary entrance gate for closing said opening, a sonic generator mounted in the bottom of at least one of said compartments for propagating sonic waves upwardly in said one compartment, sound absorbing material lining said one compartment, valve means in the upper portion of each compartment com- -municating with the exterior of the compartments to release excess pressure from the compartments, and a rotary discharge gate at the bottom of said one compartment.

5. An apparatus for the sonic separation of materials of different specific gravities comprising a separation chamber including a plurality of communicating compartments, the first of said compartments having an opening therein adjacent the upper end thereof, a rotary entrance gate closing said opening, a sonic generator mounted in the bottom of at least one of said compartments ;for propagating sonic waves upwardly in said one compartment, sound absorbing material lining said one compartment, valve means in the upper portion of each compartment communicating with the exterior of the compartments to release excess pressure from the compartments, a rotary discharge gage at the bottom of said one compartment, and means resiliently mounted in said one compartment engaging said gates to retain a static medium within the compartments.

6. The combination of claim 5, wherein said resiliently mounted means comprises a pair of plates on opposite sides of each discharge gate frictionally contacting the edges of the gate as it is rotated.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,093,898 Taplin Sept. 21, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS 713,929 Germany Nov. 18, 1941 

1. THE PROCESS FOR SEPARATING VALUABLE MINERALS AND GANGUE MATERIALS FROM RAW ORE WHICH COMPRISES PELLETIZING THE RAW ORE TO A PREDETERMINED SIZE RANGE, INTRODUCING THE PELLETS AT AN ANGLE TO THEIR FREE FALLING GRAVITATIONAL PATH INTO A CLOSED CHAMBER CONTAINING A GASEOUS MEDIUM AND GENERATING SONIC WAVES IN THE CHAMBER FROM A POINT BENEATH THE POINT OF ENTRY OF THE PELLETS TO FORM A SEPARATION ZONE OF AN INTENSITY SUFFICIENT TO FARTHER DEFLECT THE FLOW OF THE LIGHTER SPECIFIC GRAVITY PELLETS FROM THEIR FREE FALLING GRAVITATIONAL PATH WHILE PERMITTING THE HEAVIER SPECIFIC GRAVITY PELLETS APPROACHING THEIR FREE FALLING GRAVITATIONAL PATH AND TO PASS THERETHROUGH, AND DISCHARGING THE GRADED PELLETS FROM SEPARATE OPENINGS IN THE CHAMBER. 